Pia Bergqvist

The fiery crash of a Cessna Citation CJ2 into a hangar at Santa Monica on Sunday evening left four dead and raised many questions about just what happened and why. Killed in the crash were a Santa Monica businessman, Mark Benjamin, his adult son Luke, and two women also on the flight, whose names have […]

While paved areas at airports are generally flat, there are times when runways, taxiways and parking areas are sloped. While sloped runways and taxiways in some cases require extra attention, sloped parking areas can cause major problems. I recently visited a beautiful airport in the southern part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains called Kern Valley […]

As Embraer is gearing up for the National Business Aviation Association’s annual convention in Las Vegas, which is coming up on October 22 through 24, the company has leaked a few tidbits of what showgoers can expect to see at the Embraer booth and at the static displays inside the convention center and at Henderson […]

Here is your chance to get a good deal if you need some pilot supplies. Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Company is hosting its annual customer appreciation day on Saturday October 5 with booths from several major players. The open house will take place in three locations simultaneously: Corona, California; Peachtree City, Georgia; and Brantford, Ontario, […]

The body of David Riggs has been recovered from the lake near Shenyang, China, where his Lancair 320 crashed last week. Unfortunately the story hit close to home for me. I hate to admit it, but I flew with Riggs a few years ago. It is an understatement to say that the flight left a […]

Firefighters from the Charlotte Fire Department got a big surprise as they recently tested sonar equipment in Lake Norman, a large lake northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina. According to local news outlets, the firefighters found an airplane resting on the bottom of the lake. As some of the firefighters took a closer look by diving […]

Several reports claim David Riggs, a pilot with a checkered past who lost his FAA license not once but twice, is missing after his Lancair 320 crashed in a lake outside Shenyang, China. Riggs’ passenger, an 18-year-old Chinese translator, died in the crash. The Los Angeles Times reported that Riggs took off in rainy conditions […]

Yves Rossy, aka Jetman, took to the skies at the National Championship Air Races and Air Show, which took place this past weekend in Reno, Nevada. This, the second show during Jetman’s U.S. visit after AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, presented some new challenges for the man who straps a jet-powered carbon-Kevlar wing to his body, […]

You already know that it is important to do a weight and balance calculation prior to any flight to make sure you don’t put too much weight in the airplane and that the center of gravity is within the published limits. But you may not realize that you should do at least two weight and […]

As aviation legend Bob Hoover announced the customary command for the Unlimited pilots, “Gentlemen, start your engines,” the final Gold Heat at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, was on. First to take off was the T-33 pace plane flown by Steve Hinton, a legend in his own right as a long time […]